Three Transition Speeches–

Thomas Jefferson, Lyndon Johnson, Gerald Ford

Thomas Jefferson became president in a time so tense with political strife that many feared a second American Revolution when the government changed hands. Lyndon Johnson became president when a popular young president was assassinated. Gerald Ford became president after the first president in history of the republic had resigned in disgrace, fearing a conviction on impeachment charges. Furthermore, Ford had not been elected to his role as vice president but nominated and confirmed through the mechanism of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment. You will be reading three speeches, each given by one of these presidents shortly after they took office.

The Inaugural of Thomas Jefferson, March 4, 1801

President Lyndon Johnson’s Address to the Congress, November 28, 1963

Gerald Ford’s Remarks, August 9, 1974

Read each of the speeches, taking note of these aspects:

1. In what specific ways does the president reassure people that despite unusual circumstances the republic will survive this presidential transition?

2. Are there any literal or metaphorical references to the idea of continuity in the speeches?

3. Does the president ask for the help of the people in accomplishing his task?

4. Does the president invoke the memory of an honored leader from the past, or some spiritual force greater than himself?

Share what you discovered in reading the speeches through a discussion with your classmates, then add information to your original notes. Compose an essay on the topic below. Make sure you include enough background information so that the reader understands the issues addressed, and include specific phrases or sentences from the text of the speeches as support.

Topic: In speeches that were calm in tone, each president tried in specific ways to address concerns that the American people had about the unusual or difficult circumstances that had brought him to power.

As a variation of this assignment, after reading the three speeches carefully, choose one sentence from each that you think best supports the essay topic stated above. Write a short rationale for choosing that sentence. Share your opinions with the class.

For discussion: Which of the speeches do you think would have been most effective in helping allay people’s fears about a transition? Which new president do you think had the hardest task? Think of the person who is vice president now. If anything happened to our president, would you feel confident that the American people would accept his leadership? Why or why not?